Inflatable supporter for trousers and the like.



H. LEAP.

INFLATABLE SUPPORTER FOR TROUSERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1913.

1,080,985, Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

ETNFFED TATFE @FFiQE.

HARRY LEAP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INFLATABLE SUPPORI'ER FOR TROUSERS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed April .21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY LEAP, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Inflatable Supporters for Trousers and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tocertain new and useful improvements in means for support.

ing garments on the body of the wearer, and while it is more particularly intended to support trousers, yet it is applicable for use in supporting drawers, and it can be employed by ladies for supporting their skirts, and for making the fit of garments around the waist more perfect; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a garment supporter for personal wear of the above named general character, which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable and etficient in operation, and with its parts so made and arranged with respect to one another that certain members thereof can be readily inflated, either before or after the supporter is placed in position on the body of the wearer.

Another important object of the inven tion is to provide a supporting device w iich will not only effectually and properly support garments, especially trousers without the use of suspenders or braces and in such a manner as to afford great comfort and ease and so as to allow of any desired movement of the body, but which also will cause the trousers or garments to more properly fit around the waist line and just below'the same, thus doing away with the usual looseness or baglike effect so common to trousers, and especially to those intended to be worn by athletes, such as golf and ball players and the like.

A still further object is to so make the supporter that certain parts thereof can be readily adjusted to suit the requirements of the wearer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In the accompanying drawing, which serves to illustrate anembodiment of the Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Dec. 9,1913.

Serial No. 762,497.

invention-Figure 1 is an outer face view of the supporter showing a portion of one of the inflatable pads broken away and a part of the belt removed to illustrate the construction and arrangement of the parts; Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of a portion of the body of a man, showing the supporter in position but illustrating a partof the trousers as being bro-ken away to disclose a portion of the belt or supporter; Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the supporter, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

. Like numerals of reference refer to corres onding parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

The reference numeral 6 designates the body or main portion of a belt, which may be made of any suitable size and material, such as leather or some other substantially non-elastic material, and is preferably formed of two layers or plies 7 and 8, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Secured to each end of the body or main part 6 of the belt is a piece of elastic ma terial 9, one of which pieces is equipped with a tongue 10, of leather or other suitable material, which is provided with perforations 11, to engage a buckle 12, secured in any suitable manner to the free end 0 the other piece of elastic material.

Located between the layers 7 and 8 of the body or main part 6 of the belt is a flexible tube 13, which has one of its ends extended through a suitable opening in the part 6 of the belt, and is equipped at said end with a valved nipple 14:, through which nipple air may be forced in any suitable manner. The tube 13 extends from near one end of the part 6 of the belt to near its other end, and as is clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, is slack or so arranged with respect to the belt that it can be moved longitudinally therein. Secured at their upper portions around the tube 13, are a number of bags 15, of sheet rubber or other suitable elastic and imperforate material, which bags are so shaped that when inflated they will be enlarged toward their lower portions. V'Vithin each of the bags 15, the tube 13, is provided with an opening 16, through which air can pass from said tube into the bag or vice versa. Each of the bags 15 is secured at its side edges around the tube 13, in any suitable manner, but so as to prevent the escape of air.

Secured to the body or main part 6 of the belt at suitable points to lie over the hips of the wearer when the belt is in position on the body are depending pads 17 which may be made of any suitable size, shape or material, but preferably of about the form shown in the drawings, and of leather or some other material having enough stiffness to cause them to maintain their original or normal shapes; that is to say, substantially fiat, or, if desired, these pads may have their surfaces adjacent to the body of the wearer formed to correspond with the contour of that portion of the body on which they will lie.

Located between the pads 17, and secured at its upper portion to the part 6 of the belt,.

is another pad 18, of any suitable material. Secured at its edges to each of the pads 17 and 18 is a piece of flexible material 19, such as silk or some other strong fibrous material, which pieces, together with the pads 17 and 18, encompass the bags 15, and form a covering or protection therefor, yet in such a manner that the bags 15 can be shifted or adjusted within said protecting casing by the movement of the tube 13, on which said bags are mounted.

By reference to Fig. 1 of the drawing, it will be observed that the bags 15 are communicatively connected together by means of the tube 13, so that by forcing air through the nipple 1 1, said bags can be inflated to the proper degree, in which condition they will be maintained by reason of the air therein, which will be prevented from escaping through the tube 13 by means of the valve in the nipple 14, which valve may be of the ordinary or any preferred construction. The bag 15, supported by the pad 18 and its covering, is by preference somewhat wider than the bags 15, which are designed to rest on or over the hips of the wearer, and is of less capacity than the last named bags, yet is of substantially the same shape. The pad 18 is designed to rest midway between the pads over the hips of the wearer, and when inflated will co-act with the other bags in preventing the trousers or garments from slipping downwardly, and will also assist the other bags and their pads in taking up the looseness or slack just below the belt or waist line, thus causing the garments to more properly fit. I

By oommunicatively connecting the bags, it is apparent that if one of them is subject ed to a blow or pressure, the strain incident thereto will be communicated through the tube 13, to the other bags, thus distributing the same. The inner layer of the part 6 of the belt may be provided with a number of openings 19, to receive buttons or suitable fastening devices on the waist band of the drawers 20, which are worn between the belt and the body of the wearer, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing. When the belt is in position as shown in Fig. 2, it will be concealed by the upper portion of the trousers 21, but can be readily reached for adjustment, or so that the bags and flexible coverings therefor can be inflated or deflated to the proper degree, so as to distend the bags and coverings 19 therefor, at their lower portions, so as to prevent the trousers or garments from slipping downward, and in such a manner as to remove the baglike appearance to the upper portion thereof. If desired the upper portions of the pieces or coverings 19, may be left unfastened so that the bags 15, may be reached for adjustment. 7

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an inflatable supporter for garments,

the combination with a belt, of a flexible tube laxly mounted along the same, and a plurality of inflatable bags having communication with said tube and extended below the belt.

2. In an inflatable supporter for garments, the combination with a belt, of a flexible tube laxly mounted along the same, and a plurality of inflatable bags having communication with said tube and extended below the belt and each enlarged downwardly when inflated.

3. In an inflatable supporter for garments, the combination with a belt, of a flexible tube mounted along the same, means communicating with said tube to control the intake and exhaust of air therefrom, and a pluof said pads.

HARRY LEAP. Witnesses:

CHAS. G. TILLMAN, A. S. PHILLIPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. W'ashington, D. G. 

